In Grief, Love

I started this painting on the afternoon of January 6th, while unbeknownst to me violence was unfolding in the U.S. Capitol. I “finished” it the next morning, moving it out of a much uglier stage. Although I’m not sure I’ve moved it far enough out of “ugliness,” I also know it’s good to sit with it all, that the truth of a moment doesn’t always appear beautiful in the ways we’ve known. And also, that ugliness and beauty are mostly ideas and relative to their context. Art is not always visually appealing; movement doesn’t always feel good. My paintings don’t usually name themselves when they aren’t finished, but this one did, so maybe it is.

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2 thoughts on “In Grief, Love

  1. the color palette is unlike your usual palette. that’s my first observation. and so it seems to be coming from a different place in your heart or at least is the confluence of a different set of factors. perhaps the violence of the past days emerges in the amaranthine smokiness in the upper left surrounding the sky. the presence of a patch of clear sky in otherwise emotionally grief-filled tones suggests hopefulness to me. anyway, i really like the painting and thanks for sharing.

    ed

    Liked by 1 person

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